Newsletters | November 28, 2006

The Associated Press recently reported "New Orleans homeless [people] face trouble as winter comes.” Advocates for homeless people are concerned because the lack of homeless shelters after Hurricane Katrina will leave many people on the streets exposed to dangerously cold temperatures. Typically when the temperature drops below 38 degrees, the city tries to move all homeless people off of the streets into one of their six main shelters. Unfortunately, two of the six shelters are closed and another one is recovering from losing its roof. Biaggio DiGiovanni, director of the Ozanam Inn, one of the open shelters, is concerned because the planning and coordination that existed before Katrina to help get homeless people off the street and into shelter when it is cold does not exist any longer. A spokesperson for Mayor Ray Nagin said the city is aware of the problem and is trying to establish a plan. With at least 3,000 people homeless now, however, and the number growing everyday, the 450 beds the city currently has seems hopelessly inadequate.

The National Alliance to End Homelessness is a nonpartisan, non profit organization dedicated to solving the problem of homelessness and preventing its continued growth.www.endhomelessness.org

EXPERT Q & A

Take a five minute break from whatever you are doing to hear about emerging issues, new research, and personal stories from experts and leaders in homelessness and housing policy. This months expert is Dan Mudd, Chief Executive Officer of Fannie Mae.